Wordless Wednesday || A Night at the Drive-In

While there may not be a lot of things that feel "normal" this summer, there's often a silver lining that can be found if you look close enough.  And Saturday night, our silver lining was found right on the silver screen.  One of our community's sweetest summertime traditions, Movies Under the Moon, was cancelled due to all things Covid and social distancing.  But just a few weeks later, Downtown Cedar Falls and Gallagher Bluedorn announced a new version of Movies Under the Moon - drive-in style.  Families could "purchase" free tickets, then park in the huge lot north of the Dome to enjoy a night under the stars in the comfort of their car space.  And when the first round of Friday movies sold out within minutes, the great people organizing the event added a Saturday showing to the mix.  Simply to give people something to look forward to and add a little summertime magic to a very strange year.
     

Saturday night, we packed up the back of Beau's truck with all the essentials - an air mattress and some of our favorite blankets, enough pillows for an army of movie goers, our friend, Luke's, contractor radio which provided enough sound for all our neighbors, and popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, Junior Mints, and Hot Tamales.  We ate some pizza on the patio at Urban Pie, then headed to UNI and were greeted by a sea of volunteers who directed us to a perfect spot in front of a giant jumbo screen.  The night couldn't have been better for a movie - there was a chill in the air perfect for some pickup truck snuggling, the sky was all sorts of golden, the stars were thick and the moon was bright.  Cruz's friend, Lincoln, happened to be right next to our car, we played UNO while we waited, and then we settled right in to that familiar score of one of our favorite Disney movies, Moana. 

Sometimes change leads to new and even better beginnings.  And I think Cedar Falls may be onto something with this new approach to Movies Under the Moon.  If you grew up in Cedar Falls, it's likely you spent a night or two under the stars at the old Hillcrest Drive-In.  Maybe this will be the summer to step back into history and recreate something pretty special.  We'll definitely be in line for a front row seat.